


So sure as a bird, flying high above

by youthwillnotendure



Category: Cirque du Freak | The Saga of Darren Shan - Darren Shan
Genre: Folk Songs - Freeform, Gen, Sea Shanties, Shanties, mika/kurda but subtle / if you squint, vampires singing folk songs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27714011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youthwillnotendure/pseuds/youthwillnotendure
Summary: I've had a headcanon for a while now that the vampires know folk songs and sea shanties and what better time to sing these than when you're finally meeting up with your friends again, able to drink and reminisce? Set at the Festival of the Undead, a brief look into Mika's thoughts
Relationships: Mika Ver Leth/Kurda Smahlt
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

> Angelina Baker, age of forty-three,  
>  Fed her sugar candy but she wouldn’t marry me.  
>  Angelina Baker, Angeline I know,  
>  Should have married Angeline twenty years ago. 

Mika joined in with that chorus, smiling towards the end as he realised others had as well. It was clear that some of the vampires staying up in the hall were the younger ones, they weren’t joining in and were looking like this sort of behaviour was completely new. They had probably only expected fighting and challenges from the Festival of the Undead, not knowing that sad old vampires gathered together every year to drink, remember those that had passed to Paradise and sing the songs they remembered from being a human. Eventually the singing trailed away, a few more people joining in for the last chorus. Mika gave it a couple of seconds before deciding to sing something more recent, but something more lively. It was the Festival after all, they should be celebrating and having fun.

> “For love I am inclined and I’ll tell you my mind  
>  That my inclination lies in your cuckoo’s nest.”

He caught Arra raising her glass and rolling her eyes at him, and he couldn’t help but emphasise the next few lines. “Some like a girl who is pretty in the face”, Mika raised his own glass to her, “But I like a girl who will wriggle and will twist.” They had a brief period of will-they-won’t-they, but Mika knew that the entire time her heart had been set on one orange haired vampire. Her eyes flicked to him whenever he entered the room, betraying her, and he hadn’t had the heart to point it out.

At some point all of these songs would be forgotten, but the tunes would linger behind. Just like how the vampires named their halls after heroes and some could tell you what each of them had done, the perks of a longer life also mean that you could pick up a great deal more history since you were living it. But eventually all of the names would become just that, names. And what was to stop him being a Sweet William, or future generations hearing that out his heart grew a briar. They already had a few songs being sang to the same tune as Red is the Rose, maybe one of these songs would become about them, some smart young thing would change the lyrics and people would remember the Wars and manipulation of Desmond Tiny.

Mika snapped out of his train of thought when he heard Kurda’s voice rise up, not realising that he had stayed up for this. The violence was over for now so it wasn’t surprising that Kurda had elected to rejoin the group again, admittedly, but Mika couldn’t remember a time when Kurda had actually joined in with this infrequent tradition. Usually the blond retreated somewhere, content to sit with his food, drink and whatever project he was working on, leaving everyone else tot it.

> At the trial they told me, “You shall die. You shall die.”  
>  At the trial they told me, “You shall die.”  
>  And they flung me into jail where I’ll drink no more strong ale,

The refrain was haunting and despite hearing the song countless times before there was something about this verse that caught Mika. It was like someone was tying a noose around his neck as the song continued. Sad songs had been sung at these things before but nothing like this. It felt too real, like something in Kurda had felt that sort of emptiness and alone-ness that he associated with Sam Hall. Nobody else was joining in for this one either, and Mika knew that some of the others remembered it well. Hearing the lone voice singing about his oncoming death was making it feel all too real and there was something that he couldn’t put words to beyond desperately sad.

Folk songs were often haunting, often sad and something depressing when they weren’t work songs. The ones he knew that weren’t very tongue in cheek were mostly concerned with lost lovers, or knowing that your time was almost up. There were ones about old memories and people he had known that he still sang to himself sometimes when he was in the Hall of Princes alone. Kurda’s song had ended some time while he was in the middle of thinking to himself but the general feeling continued, with some others joining in this time to sing. When he came back to the present and searched out Kurda he couldn’t help but feel another pang in his chest like someone had stabbed him through the heart, but he couldn’t quite work out why.


	2. When I return united we will be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More sad, happy, and fluffy folk songs!

Arra swayed closer to Mika, stealing the glass out of his hand and dancing back in a well-practiced tease, putting on a show for the vampires around them. Mika wasn’t worried about it though, Kurda knew that whatever could have been between the female vampire and himself had long fizzled out into something he liked to think of as if we had been born as siblings we would be much more chaotic and competitive than we are so be glad this is the worst we’re doing. _“Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk, you silly old fool, still you can not see. That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me."_ Mika couldn’t help the laugh as he sang the next line in reply, _“Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more,  
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before.” _

Mika and Arra were a sight to behold singing this song together; both of them clearly having fun while playing up the theatrics of it all. When it got to the more bawdy lines Kurda wasn’t surprised that Mika fully went for it. _“I saw a thing inside her thing where my ol’ thing should be.”_ He didn’t exactly approve of the song, but couldn’t help the laugh when the vampires that clearly remembered the song joined in to sing “thing” along with Mika. Arra shook her hair back over her shoulder, hand over her chest . _”That’s a lovely carrot that me mother gave to me!”_ She sang, acting offended that he even dare suggest such a thing. Eventually the song wound down to an end and the two of them collapsed back in their seats, laughing and enjoying their (refilled) drinks. 

A few more rounds of songs had gone by, some of the vampires bringing their own that Kurda hadn’t known before which was always fun. He picked up on a couple of variants of songs he wanted to write down, he didn’t remember those lyrics from what he had learned and it was always fun to keep a track of how the songs changed over the years. He was sure that one of them had been changed for something pop culture related but he wasn’t familiar enough with the source material of whatever it was to be sure. And somewhere in that mix he found the newly turned vampire that was definitely from Devon if the songs he was singing were any indication. A while passed, various vampires joining in, some leaving to go off and enjoy other aspects of the Festival.  
Kurda wasn’t sure exactly when he had ended up on Mika’s lap, but the raven haired vampire’s arm was warm around him and he couldn’t quite bring himself to wriggle free. _“I've stood knee deep cyanide, got sick with a caustic burn, Been working rough, I've seen enough, to make your stomach turn”_ Mika straightened up behind him, still keeping him close as they all joined in on the chorus. It wasn't the cheeriest of songs to follow on from an equally depressing song but at least this one wasn’t just him singing on his own. He could hear Mika’s voice in his ear, feel the man’s arms tightening and relaxing around him as he sang, and Kurda couldn’t get enough of it. This was one of the things he looked forward to nights like this for, how relaxed the two of them were around each other, but also how comfortable Mika was to openly show affection.

It had been a while since Mika had led a song and Kurda felt him shift in preparation to once his song had ended. _“Oh the summertime has come and the leaves are sweetly blooming and the wild mountain thyme grows among the blooming heather... “._ His voice carried throughout the hall and the smile was back on Kurda’s face. The song was one that he couldn’t listen to normally without smiling, let alone when Mika was singing it and rubbing his thumb over Kurda’s elbow gently and slowly in time with the song. _“I will build my love a bower”._ The song continued and Kurda let himself rest back, head against Mika’s shoulder and he closed his eyes. This sort of peace he could get used to, safely in Mika’s arms, his family around him and no immediate threats. Nothing that required their attention, just a night of singing and enjoying each other’s company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is from _Leaving of Liverpool_ , the first song is _Seven Drunken Nights_ which is one of my favourite songs to sing where you separate out and one person does the "male" and the other does the "female" part. The second song is _Chemical Worker's song / Process Man_ The final song is _Wild Mountain Thyme_.  
> These are some of my favourite folk songs, and some of the more recent ones I've learned. Wild Mountain Thyme by the Longest Johns is one of the sweetest songs and it never fails to make me smile when I hear it.

**Author's Note:**

> List of songs referenced:  
> "So sure as a bird, flying high above" - The title comes from _Fare Thee Well_ also known as _Dink's Song_ and the version I love is performed by **The Longest Johns** in their streams.  
>  _Anglina Baker_ and _Cuckoo's Nest_ both sang by **The Norfolk Broads**  
>  _Red is the Rose_ and _Loch Lomond_ two traditional songs that use the same tune  
>  _Sam Hall / Jack Hall_ The song Kurda sings at the end, haunting and I really like the Irish Descendants version  
> William, a common name is prefaced with "sweet" in these folk songs:  
> Sweet William & Lady Margaret  
> Barbara Allen  
> Out his heart a briar is a theme in these:  
> Lord Douglas  
> Barbara Allen


End file.
